Background
Mr. Fikes was born on June 14, 1951 in San Luis Obispo, California, United States. He was a son of J. C. (a teacher) and Virginia Lee (a teacher; maiden name, Roberts) Fikes.
(Activist, educator, political and spiritual leader, Reube...)
Activist, educator, political and spiritual leader, Reuben Snake will be remembered as an important force in his own Winnebego community, the American Indian Movement (AIM), and the Native American Church at a period when Indian America was beset with challenges from all sides. His life story is at once a moving personal memoir and a retelling of the most significant events and conditions affecting Native Americans in modern times. He experienced what many young Indians have suffered -- schools that punished children for speaking their native language, unemployment resulting from discrimination, and alcohol abuse. Snake overcame these obstacles to become one of the most effective and inspirational leaders of his time. This remarkable autobiography was transmitted to Jay Fikes in tape-recorded interviews during the final month of Snake's life.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1574160079/?tag=2022091-20
(The culmination of 34 years of ethnographic fieldwork and...)
The culmination of 34 years of ethnographic fieldwork and archival research, this book offers ground-breaking insights into fundamental principles of Huichol shamanism and ritual. The scope and length of Fikes's research, combined with the depth of his participation with four Huichol shamans, enable him to convey with empathy details of shamanic initiation, methods for diagnosis and treatment of illness, and motives for performing funeral, deer and peyote hunting, and maize-cultivating rituals.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0759120269/?tag=2022091-20
anthropologist educator writer
Mr. Fikes was born on June 14, 1951 in San Luis Obispo, California, United States. He was a son of J. C. (a teacher) and Virginia Lee (a teacher; maiden name, Roberts) Fikes.
Jay Fikes attended Chapman College during the period of 1969-1971, and University of California, San Diego, from 1969 to 1971. In 1973 he received his Bachelor of Arts (cum laude) degree from University of California, Irvine. In 1974 Mr. Fikes finished University of San Diego with Master of Education (with honors). In 1977 he obtained Master of Arts from University of Michigan and in 1985 Doctor of Philosophy degree.
In 1974 he was appointed bilingual tutor in chemistry at Pala Indian Reservation at Palomar Community College, San Marcos, CA. Mr. Fikes served as an instructor in anthropology at Allan Hancock Community College, Vandenberg Air Force Base Center, 1975-1976. In 1983 he held the post of a land use planner at Navajo Nation, Window Bock, AZ. U.S. Since 1985 Jay Fikes was appointed adjunct professor of anthropology at International University, Oceanside, CA.
From 1985 till 1987 Jay Fikes worked at Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey, as a professor of social science research methods. He was a freelance researcher and writer between 1988 and 1989. In 1989 Mr. Fikes acted as an adjunct professor of anthropology at Highlands University, Las Vegas, NM. He was a legislative secretary specializing in Native American issues at Friends Committee on National Legislation in 1990.
Mr. Fikes worked as a consultant to filmmakers in 1992-1993. From 1993 to 1996 he served at Institute of Intercultural Issues, as its President. In 1994 he appeared in the documentary series Coming and Going, televised by Public Broadcasting Service, and also was known to be a guest on radio talk shows.
Jay Fikes was a contributor to books, including New Voices in Native American Literary Criticism, Anthropological Film and Video in the 1990s. Contributor of articles and reviews to periodicals, including Michigan Discussions in Anthropology, Dialectical Anthropology, and Choice.
(Activist, educator, political and spiritual leader, Reube...)
(The culmination of 34 years of ethnographic fieldwork and...)
(Book by Jay Courtney Fikes, Jay Courney Fikes)
(First Edition)
Quotations:
Jay C. Fikes told CA: "Much of my writing is inspired by oral traditions performed by American Indian spiritual leaders. I have participated in numerous ceremonies of the Native American Church and of the Huichol Indians of Mexico. Their ritual oratory features singing and praying. It has an emotional depth that has stimulated me to become more closely connected to my own emotions and to the divine spirit in nature. I want my writing to accentuate the intuitive or metaphysical awareness I have cultivated through my association with American Indian shamans and singers. The scholarly habits and perspective I learned from professors at universities are helpful in clarifying and supporting the insights I acquired from research with American Indian sages and shamans."
"I am convinced that American Indian spirituality contains insights that can help us enhance the quality of marriage and extended family living, publicly honor the connection between living and deceased relatives, and reverently acknowledge the dependency we humans have on all other creatures and on the natural cycles that make possible our survival on this planet. I hope my books increase respect for American Indian shamans and inspire readers to improve their lives by adding specific Indian spiritual precepts to the highest values embodied in our Judeo-Christian faith and democratic ideals."
Married Lebriz N. Tosuner on April 17, 1979. They have one child, Leyla Tupina.